Door latching device



R. A. NXCHOLS DOOR LATCHING DEVICE Filed Dec.

Oct. 10, 1967 'INVENTOR. ROBERT A. NICHOLS wwm gw AT TO RNEY V United States Patent Ofiice 3,346,290 Patented Oct. 10, 1967 3,346,290 DOOR LATCHING DEVICE Robert A. Nichols, 11 Chapin St., Binghamton, N.Y. 13905 Filed Dec. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 514,033 Claims. (Cl. 292-141) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A door latching device comprising a sliding bolt having an actuating knob fitted in a casing which is mounted on one side of a door, a second casing having a sliding knob 1s mounted on the other side of the door opposite the first casing, a flexible band wrapped around the edge of the door interconnects the bolt with the sliding knob so that the latch may be operated from either side of the door when the latter is closed.

This is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application, Ser. No. 434,904, filed Feb. 24, 1965.

This invention relates to latching devices and, more particularly, to slide bolt actuated latches to be mounted on hinged doors of all types such as used in dwellings.

In various instances it would be advantageous to have a latching bolt which could easily be placed on a door which has either no locking means or where a latch is to be placed at such height which cannot be reached by small children. While there are a variety of sliding bolt type latches available, these generally require the use of special tools and a number of screws for attachment. Moreover, a conventional latching device permits actuation only from the side of the door to which it is attached. The other side in inaccessible for actuation of the latch. In general, presently available door retaining locks, whether of the sliding bolt type or others, require, in order to be operable from both sides of the door, that a hole be drilled through the door for the extension of the manual actuating element. Manifestly, these cannot be attached without the use of drills and other special tools not readily available in the household and, when removed, leave unsightly holes in the door.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a door latch which may be easily attached to the door at any desired height, which does not penetrate the door in any manner and yet is operable from either side for locking or unlocking.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a door latch of the above type which is simple in construction, having relatively few parts, and which may be mounted on any door with the minimum of fastening elements.

It is a particular feature of the invention that the door latch, constructed in accordance therewith, is accessible for operation from both sides of the door so that it cannot be placed in locked position at one side without east of unlocking from the other side, and Vice versa. By virtue of this feature, for example, a child standing on a chair to reach the bolt may not lock himself in since the bolt is operable from both sides of the door.

Other objects and features will be apparent from the following description of the invention, defined in particularity in the appended claims and taken in connection with the accompany drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view, in perspective, of the component elements of the door latching device as it appears mounted on a door;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the door latching device mounted on a door, the latter being cut away showing also the door frame to which the keeper plate is attached; and

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the keeper late attached to the door jamb showing the sliding bolt in section.

Referring to the drawing, the door latching device comprises, as component e-lements, a first casing 10 of U- shaped configuration having a channel 11 which slideably accommodates the latch bolt 12. Afiixed to the latter is the knob 13 which, upon assembly, extends through slot 14 of the casing 10. The slot 14 is of suitable length to permit sliding mot-ion of the knob 13 a sufiicient distance to allow extension or retraction of the latch bolt 12 Within the open-ended channel 11. Attached to the latch bolt 12 at the underside thereof is a flat resilient band 16. The attachment may be simply effected by screws 17 and 18 which fit into threaded holes of the knob 13. In this manner, both the knob 13 and the band 16 are secured to the latch bolt 12.

It is seen in the illustration that the band 16 is wrapped around the edge of the door D, the latter being outlined in phantom view. The other end of the band 16 is attached to a plate 19 which carries a knob 13, extending through the slot 14' in the casing 10'. This attachment is efiected in a manner similar to that previously explained by means of screws 17' and 18'. The plate 19 fits slideably in the casing 10' which is similar to the casing 10 except that the channel 11' is closed by a front wall 20. Underneath the band 16 is a bottom strip 21 which fits snugly around the door and, above the band 16, is a top strip 22 which runs under the casing 10 and 10', respectively. This top strip 22 has a recessed portion forming a channel 23 to accommodate sliding of the band 16.

Upon mounting on the door, the entire assembly of the casings and the strips are fastened together by the screw 24 on one side and the screw 24 on the other side through suitable holes such as 25 in casing 10 and in the end of strip 22 underneath thereof; 25' in casing 10' and in the other end of strip 22 underneath thereof; and through holes 26 and 26', respectively, in the strip 21. In this manner, the strips 21 and 22 form a sheath 27 (FIG. 2) tightly enclosing the band 16. The stri 22 has a cutout 28 into which the latch bolt 12 enters with the band fitting underneath. The bottom portion of the latch bolt 12 has a plate member 29 carrying a tongue 30 which slideably fits into corresponding groove 32 of the cutout 28.

The construction is similar in the casing 10 which has a cutout 28' accommodating the plate 19 to which the band 16 is attached. The plate 19 has a tongue 30' which fits into the corresponding groove 32 of the cutout 28'.

It will readily be seen that when the parts above described are assembled into a unitary structure, the band 16 performs the function of a motion transfer element. Upon sliding of the bolt 12 by manual actuation of the knob 13 the band 16 is constrained to slide in the sheath 27 and forces the plate 30' to slide in the opposite direction in the cutout 28. The knob 13' is thus moved in the slot 14' to position for subsequent manual operation. The purpose of the tongue 30 of the plate 29 and the tongue 3'13 of plate 19 entering grooves 32 and 32, respectively, is to prevent lateral motion or bending of the band 16 in the cutouts 28 and 28', thereby assuring stiffness in the passage provided by the sheath 27. Thus motion of the band 16 is restricted in the longitudinal direction for effective transfer of the force required in sliding the latch bolt 12 in and out of the casing 10.

The simple construction of the assembly of the latch bolt in accordance with this invention is shown in FIG. 2 which illustrates the device mounted on a hinged door D cooperating with the door jamb E. In this illustration, the door is cut away, permitting a top view of the latching device. It is seen that each of the casings 10 and 10' is secured to the door D by only one fastening element,

namely, the screw 24 or 24, respectively. The sheath 27 is wrapped around the door D leaving ample space between the door and the door jamb for free opening and closing. The keeper plate 33 is of such configuration that it provides a cutout 34 of a width slightly larger than the width of the sheath27. In this manner the keeper plate 33 need not be recessed in the door jamb, since the por tion of the sheath 27 which is wrapped around the edge of the door fits snugly in the space provided by the cutout 34.

All major component elements of the latch assembly may be made of plastic material molded into the required shape. The motion transfer band 16 may be of metal or plastic. In a practical embodiment, nylon material was successfully used for the band 16.

The simple construction of the door latching device permits easy assembly by anyone, requiring but an ordinary screw driver and mounting screws for attachment to the door at any desired height, without requiring drilling of holes through a door. This may be easily accomplished by any unskilled person in but a few minutes time.

What is claimed is:

1. A door latching device comprising a first casing adapted to be mounted on one side of a door, a latch bolt slideably supported in said casing, said bolt having a knob extending from said casing for manual actuation, a second casing adapted to be mounted on the other side of said door and opposite to said first casing, a plate slideably supported therein having an actuating knob extending therefrom, a resilient motion transfer band interconnecting said plate with said latch bolt, a flexible sheath encasing said band and interconnecting said casings, said sheath being adapted to be wrapped around the edge of said door, whereby said bolt may be actuated from either side of said door.

2. A door latching device comprising a first casing adapted to be mounted on one side of a door, a latch bolt slideably supported in said casing, said bolt having a knob extending from said casing for manual actuation, a second casing adapted to be mounted on the other side of said door and opposite to said first casing, a plate slideably supported therein having an actuating knob extending therefrom, a flat, resilient motion transfer band interconnecting said plate with said latch bolt, a flexible sheath enclosing said band and interconnecting said casings, said sheath being adapted to be wrapped around the edge of said door, whereby said bolt may be actuated from either side of said door, and a keeper plate accommodating said latch bolt aflixed to the jamb of said door, said keeper plate having a cutout of suflicient width for accepting the entry therebetween of said sheath.

3. A door latching device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said motion transfer band comprises a metallic ribbon.

4. A door latching device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said motion transfer band comprises a plastic material such as a polyamide polymer composition known as nylon.

5. A door latching device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said sheath enoasing said band comprises a bottom strip of flexible material mounted around the edge of said door and a top strip of flexible material, having a recessed portion, attached to each of said casings, said band being sandwiched between said strips and sliding in said recessed portion, a slot near each end in said top strip for permitting exit of said band, said bolt and said plate having a tongue portion covering said slots, respectively, upon actuation of said bolt for confining said band to unidirectional motion.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 169,068 10/1959 Denmark.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

J. R. MOSES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DOOR LATCHING DEVICE COMPRISING A FIRST CASING ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON ONE SIDE OF A DOOR, A LATCH BOLT SLIDEABLY SUPPORTED IN SAID CASING, SAID BOLT HAVING A KNOB EXTENDING FROM SAID CASING FOR MANUAL ACTUATION, A SECOND CASING ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID DOOR AND OPPOSITE TO SAID FIRST CASING, A PLATE SLIDEABLY SUPPORTED THEREIN HAVING AN ACTUATING KNOB EXTENDING THEREFROM, A RESILIENT MOTION TRANSFER BAND INTERCONNECTING SAID PLATE WITH SAID LATCH BOLT, A FLEXIBLE SHEATH ENCASING SAID BAND AND INTERCONNECTING SAID CASINGS, SAID SHEATH BEING ADAPTED TO BE WRAPPED AROUND THE EDGE OF SAID DOOR, WHEREBY SAID BOLT MAY BE ACTUATED FROM EITHER SIDE OF SAID DOOR. 